Nissan ZEOD RC three-cylinder engine revealed

The details about the combustion engine for the hybrid-powered Nissan ZEOD RC have been revealed and now we’ll know that it will weigh forty kilograms and produce 294kW and 380Nm by the time the racer hits the Circuit de la Sarthe in June of this year’s at the wordl renown Le Mans 24 Hours.

In its base form, the new turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine measures 500mm taill, 400mm long and 200mm wide, and will develop 24kW more than the 4.0-litre six-cylinder-powered Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo and 29kW more than the world’s most powerful production four-cylinder engine – the Mercedes-Benz made 2.0-litre turbo used in the A45, CLA45 and GLA45 AMG models. The numbers also match the 3.8-litre six-cylinder found in the Porsche 911 Carrera S (manual).

According to Nissan, the new engine will be revving up to 7500rpm, and int erms of power per kilogram, it pips the new turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 engines meant to race in this year’s Formula One season.

The three-cylinder was co-developed by French lubricants manufacturer Total, and will be teamed with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery technology taken from the Nissan Leaf EV to power its wheels via a five-speed transmission.

Besides using the ZEOD RC as a development platform for an LMP1 class racecar planned to tackle the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship, Nissan’s global motorsport director said that production cars will also benefit.

He has been quoted saying that the lessons learned from the development process of this engine will pay dividends in Nissan road cars of the future because it plans to become the first major manufacturer to use a three-cylinder engine in major international motorsport.

Their aim is to set some new standards in regards to efficiency in terms of all aspects related to vehicles – powertrain, aerodynamics and handling.